Spaghetti alla Bottarga

I've always had a love for caviar. I'm that person who can make a whole meal out of blinis and some good Beluga. I always, always order the mentaiko bowl (spicy cod roe over rice) at Ippudo to have before my regular steaming hot bowl of ramen. And tobiko (salmon roe) is on my short list of things to order at Japanese restaurants. I've got a thing for it--it's that whole savory umami thing that I can't resist.

So when I heard about bottarga, an Italian cured fish roe that can be shaved over pastas, eggs, or just about anything else, I went on an immediate hunt for it, finally coming across an affordable version at the new Il Buco outpost (which, by the way, is amazing) on Great Jones Street next to our CA Creative offices. I made pasta with it the very next day, using a recipe from Mario Batali that is purposefully kept very simple in order to let the flavor of the bottarga shine. It's absolutely delicious. xo

Mario Batali's Spaghetti alla Bottarga
Ingredients:
8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 pound spaghetti, preferably Italian
2 bunches flat Italian parsley, finely chopped, to yield 1/2 cup
6 ounces Bottarga, tuna or mullet
Peeler or small mandolin
Zest of 2 lemons

Directions:

Heat 6 quarts water to boil and add 2 tablespoons salt.

In a 12- to 14-inch saute pan, heat olive oil, red pepper, and garlic over low heat until just fragrant, about 2 minutes, and remove from heat. Cook spaghetti according to package instructions until just al dente. Drain and pour into oil mixture and add parsley. Toss to mix well over medium heat and pour into warmed serving bowl. Shave Bottarga over bowl, sprinkle with lemon zest and serve immediately.

Pasta with Anchovies and Arugula

Happy Monday, guys. Hope everyone's weekends were wonderful. I stayed in the city and had a fun, relaxing few days filled with lots of cooking, good food (including the divine chicken soup at Fred's, the restaurant on the 9th floor of Barneys), friends, a bit of shopping, and one screening of The Help, which I loved. In between all that, I made spaghetti. Not exactly surprising, I know. But trust me, you should really try this one out. It takes about 15 minutes to make, and it's packed to the brim with healthy dark arugula, which kind of negates the whole "carb" thing, in my opinion. Also, it's got melted anchovies, which gives it a kick of umami, and some seriously delicious, crunchy bread crumbs going for it. It's a new favorite of mine. The recipe below serves 4. xo

Pasta with Anchovies and Arugula
Adapted from the New York Times, by Mark Bittman
Ingredients:
Sea salt
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, peeled and slivered
8 anchovy fillets, or more to taste, with some of their oil
1/2 teaspoon or more crushed red pepper flakes
6 cups baby arugula
1/2 pound spaghetti or other long pasta
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly toasted bread crumbs (optional)

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to boil and salt it heavily.

Put the oil in a deep skillet, and turn heat to medium low. A minute later, add the garlic, and then the anchovies and red pepper flakes. When the garlic sizzles and the anchovies break up, turn the heat to its lowest setting.

Cook the pasta until it is tender but not mushy. Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid, and drain. Add pasta to skillet, along with enough reserved cooking water to make a sauce. Off the heat, combine the pasta with the greens. Sprinkle with toasted bread crumbs if desired. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss, taste and adjust the seasoning and serve.

Summer Spaghetti with Sweet Market Tomatoes

It seems like every other meal I make involves pasta these days, but with the abundance of in-season, ripe, juicy tomatoes at the market, I can't help buying pounds of the beautifully ugly, perfectly misshapen things every time I see them on a market table. And what goes better with tomatoes than spaghetti? Nothing that I've tasted, I can tell you that much. Tomato season is only happening for another month or so, and this time of year usually induces a certain tomato frenzy in me. And if you think this is bad, just wait 'til late September when, in a sudden panic, I buy as many sweet tomatoes as I can carry home and spend hours making indecent amounts of sauce to freeze for the winter.

This weekend, when I saw containers full of tiny yellow, orange, and red cherry tomatoes, piled together at the farmers' market like miniature sunsets, I had to pick them up and add them to my haul immediately. And then, of course, I made spaghetti that night, keeping the recipe as simple and clean as possible, so that the tomatoes' flavor was fully showcased. It's easy as can be--just a bit of garlic, olive oil, and the tomatoes, stirred together in a hot pan until the skins burst a bit. You can add some toasted bread crumbs and perhaps some red chili flakes for heat, but I think this 5-ingredient recipe is pretty perfect as is. xo

Summer Spaghetti with Sweet Market Tomatoes
Ingredients:
Kosher salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 pint sweet cherry tomatoes, multi-colored
10 fresh basil leaves, finely shredded
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound spaghetti

Directions:
Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt.

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic slices and cook for 3 minutes, or until softened and slightly browned. Add the tomatoes and basil and cook over medium-high heat until the tomatoes are just beginning to burst. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in the boiling water according to package directions until it is al dente. Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the tomatoes. Toss over high heat for 1 minute, then divide evenly among 4 pasta bowls, sprinkle some extra basil on top, and serve immediately.

Spaghetti alla Vongole

When I was in college, I often went home with a sorority sister of mine, who lived close to campus. Her Italian mother served a white clam sauce with linguine that was off-the-wall good. She made a quick and easy version that involved bottled clam juice and canned clams, and although I've since moved onto my own favorite clam sauce recipes (which, incidentally, all involve fresh clams), I still sometimes crave that exact dish, which really, required nothing more than some heating time on the stove.

Last night, I treated myself to a relaxing evening with a new favorite recipe for spaghetti alla vongole that is as easy as it is good. In fact, it was almost as easy as the heat-and-serve method my old friend's mother preferred. After cleaning my apartment from top to bottom, I kicked off my shoes, put on some music, opened a bottle of white wine, dunked my batch of clams into some cold water for cleaning, and got my pasta water started on the stove. It was a pretty perfect way to spend a summer Sunday. Try it for yourself and see. The below recipe serves 3 or 4.

Spaghetti alla Vongole
Adapted from My Father's Daughter, by Gwyneth Paltrow
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
Pinch of red chile flakes
Pinch of fennel seeds
6 olive oil-packed Spanish anchovies
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine, like Sauvignon Blanc
2 lbs small fresh clams or cockles, cleaned and scrubbed
6 large, fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
3/4 lb spaghetti (I used DeCecco)

Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over low heat. Add the garlic, chile flakes, and fennel seeds and cook for just about a minute, or until warmed and beginning to soften. Add the anchovies and stir them until they melt into the oil, about a minute. Crush the tomatoes gently by hand, just until their skins burst, and add them to the pan. Cook for about 4-5 minutes, crushing with the back of your spoon, until the tomatoes begin to break down. Add the wine, turn the heat up, and boil for a minute. Add the clams, cover the pan, and cook until the clams open, about a minute or two. Uncover the pan and discard any clams that didn't open. Lower the heat to simmer to let the sauce reduce until it's thick enough to just coat a spoon (you want it to really stick to the pasta). Turn off the heat and add the basil.

Meanwhile, cook your spaghetti until perfectly al dente. Add it to the pan with the sauce and stir to coat it.

To serve, divide the pasta into bowls, spooning the clams, sauce, and all the yummy bits on top of each portion.

Roasted Tomato and Anchovy Oreganata Pasta

I'm on a spaghetti bender, I know. Ironically, ever since the weather warmed up, it's all I want to make--isn't it supposed to be the opposite way around? But really, how am I supposed to resist something that incorporates little slow-roasted tomatoes, charred in the oven until they're collapsed and wrinkly and sweet as can be? Something that mixes crunchy bread crumbs with olive-oil packed, deliciously salty anchovies and puts the whole entire heavenly mixture right on top of a perfectly al dente pile of pasta? It's impossible, I tell you. But well worth the indulgence. 

Make this for a few friends on a slow, lazy, summer Sunday, as the tomatoes take a few hours to roast. Slurp it all up, and then settle in for a nap in the sun. It's very good cold or at room temperature as well, making it excellent picnic food. Let me know how it goes. xo

Roasted Tomato and Anchovy Oreganata Pasta

From Bon Appetit, June 2011

Ingredients:  

4 cups cherry tomatoes, divided 

9 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 

Kosher salt 

1/4 cup unseasoned dry breadcrumbs (preferably homemade) 

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 

1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme 

Large pinch dried oregano 

Freshly ground black pepper 

16 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained 

12 ounces spaghetti 

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 

Small handful fresh basil leaves, roughly torn

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 200°. Place 2 cups tomatoes in an 8x8x2" glass baking dish. Stir in 1 Tbsp. oil and a large pinch of salt. Roast, stirring occasionally, at least 3 hours and up to 8 hours (the longer they roast, the sweeter and more concentrated the flavor). Set aside. 

Increase oven temperature to 400°. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Place breadcrumbs and herbs in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper. Drizzle 1 Tbsp. oil over; stir until mixture resembles damp sand. Lay anchovies about 1/4" apart on prepared sheet. Evenly pack breadcrumb mixture over; drizzle with 1 Tbsp. oil. Bake until golden brown, 3-5 minutes; set anchovy oreganata aside. 

Cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until tender but still firm to the bite. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. 

Meanwhile, place remaining 2 cups tomatoes in a large bowl. Crush tomatoes with your hands. Heat 4 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add crushed tomatoes and a pinch of salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until juices thicken, 6-7 minutes. Add roasted tomatoes. 

Add drained spaghetti to skillet; toss to coat, adding reserved pasta water by 1/4-cupfuls if dry. Remove from heat; stir in basil. Drizzle with remaining 2 Tbsp. oil. Divide among bowls. Top each with 1/4 of the anchovy oreganata.